


Of friendship, Skitty, and hot cocoa

by korepers



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: Canon Autistic Character, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Mental Health Issues, Post-Canon, it's a little sad but, pokemon villains zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 09:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20255704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/korepers/pseuds/korepers
Summary: Tabitha wonders if Courtney’s dream as a kid, instead of being a scientist like him, was just being loved. The thought makes his heart sink a little.





	Of friendship, Skitty, and hot cocoa

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this for the pokemon villains zine! i was given permission to post it, so... here it is

Tabitha pets his Skitty plush idly, the soft cloth helping him concentrate.

It’s not like they have that much work lately, really. It was all more exciting when they were an illegal organization. He had so much freedom to investigate about whatever he wanted, that in a way, it’s not strange that his comrades (and his boss, of course) thought he had gone insane with power and betrayed them all.

It’s not strange, but Tabitha is not like that. He is just not like that.

It’s painful, in a way, to realise that his coworkers deemed plausible that he betrayed Maxie and took control of the Team. Brilliant Tabitha, ambitious Tabitha, the brains of Team Magma that always has a backup plan. The one who makes Maxie’s ideas happen. The mind to Maxie’s spirit.

Tabitha sighs, his tiny eyes looking for a pen, as he revises their inventory for the eleventh time that day. It’s not that he dislikes playing by the rules, and he does enjoy collaborating with the government to help the region out. Not that any of them had much of a choice. It was that, or jail. They all had chosen wisely.

Not that he exactly blames the government and the Interpol for not trusting them, given their circumstances. They had awoken a dormant god and almost destroyed the whole region. Nobody really cares that that was not a part of the plan. That they were trying to help. That they thought that what they were doing was the best for everyone.

At least, Team Aqua understands, he thinks as he blushes slightly, because sharing a space with them is nice, but kind of bothers him sometimes. Specially when some of them refuse to wear a goddamn shirt on.

Tabitha groans, and finally gives up. He starts browsing the internet, looking for his usual websites. Skitty playing with its tail. Skitty napping. Skitty meowing in annoyance as its trainer pokes its nose. He just loves those pink, tiny bastards.

“Admin Tabitha, is there something to report?” says a sweet and monotonous voice besides him, way too close. He almost jumps in place.

“Arceus be damned, Courtney. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Did I? I apologize, Admin Tabitha.”

Courtney is the brawn to Maxie’s leadership, to Tabitha’s brains. Something difficult to think of, given her tiny frame, her liking for pastels, and her soft voice. She is the enforcer of them all. The one who deals with threats with the precision of a scalpel. She is a nice person, under all of that. A very insecure person, compared to Tabitha’s huge ego. Always looking up to Maxie, wanting his approval. Always feeling like she didn’t do a good enough job. Something that, in the end, pushes her to do pretty reckless stuff. 

“I told you, it’s just Tabitha.”

Courtney’s voice  _ almost  _ sounds teasing.

“Would you prefer if I just called you Tabitabi?”

Tabitha blushes at the nickname. He loves it, it’s cute as hell, but he has a reputation to keep. Courtney has the right to exploit that weakness of his, though. Best friend privilege, and all of that jazz. No matter how much Courtney dwells on formalities.

“No, but thanks for asking.”

“You’re welcome.”

Her ability to completely disregard sarcasm and irony never ceases to amaze him.

“Are you able to disclose why you are so visibly upset at the moment?”

Courtney may have the emotional intelligence of a brick, but she is far from stupid. He sighs, scratching his face slightly. He doesn’t know if it’s something he should talk about. Would Courtney understand? Or would she judge him?

“Tabitha. You can trust me.” she says, and no matter how inexpressive she is, Tabitha can feel a hint of desperation in her voice. She wants to help. She wants to be useful. She wants to be liked.

Tabitha trusts her. He makes the conscious choice to trust her.

“It’s just. I was thinking about how others see me.”

Courtney blinks in confusion, her expression unchanged.

“I don’t understand.”

Tabitha cannot help but snort a little. He is about to drop the issue, but Courtney speaks again.

“Help me understand. I want to understand.”

Tabitha has always envied Team Aqua, deep down. An approachable leader who is friends with his admins. A Team made of people who care deeply about each other and show it continuously, without shame. Courtney is a friend, he realises. Maxie is, too, in a different way. There is nothing to be jealous of, because the feeling is exactly the same.

So, he explains again. The best way he can.

“It hurt to realise that it was… plausible for everyone that I would betray our boss for power. That they thought I would be capable of doing that.”

Courtney blinks again, but this time, she understands. She doesn’t hug him, nor try to touch him. She isn’t even looking at his face, she usually doesn’t, and never for long. She gets a little closer, her slightly absent eyes on Tabitha, deep in thought.

“According to my own data, you are very much loved by everyone on the Team.” she says after some seconds, as if debating with herself and checking the veracity of the information.

“Excuse me?”

Courtney smiles a little.

“Tabitabi. A term of endearment. I have nothing like that. Our grunts see you as an approachable person. A good person.” she says, her voice unwavering, but Tabitha knows better. “Many of them would have supported you if you had actually betrayed our Great Leader Maxie.”

“Would you?” Tabitha asks, without thinking. He remembers then that Courtney is not exactly good at discerning a hypothesis from a real possibility. “I mean, hypothetically speaking. I would never do that. I trust and respect him.”

Courtney’s smile gets a little darker, but not hostile. Never hostile, not towards him.

“I think the answer is evident.”

It is, and he understands. There is nothing more important for Courtney than loyalty. Absolutely nothing. Still, his hand shakes a little while he caresses the plush, way too comfortable around Courtney to hide it away.

“Yeah, sorry. It was a stupid question. I know how much you admire him.”

Courtney sighs, in a rare gesture of vulnerability.

“I admire you, too. But you are a friend. An equal. He is my superior. It’s not the same.”

“I get it, Courtney. Don’t worry.”

Courtney wants to receive approval from her superior as much as Tabitha wants to shine for himself. It’s not a secret for anyone.

“Your ambition can be seen as a flaw by people who do not know you like I do.” Courtney continues, her small fingers distractedly playing with her own hair. “I know you. I know where your loyalty lies. I know you are not hungry for power.”

Tabitha smiles slightly, not with his usual grins, but with a genuine smile. He points at a chair near his, as if suggesting Courtney to sit down. She accepts the offer.

“Do you want some hot cocoa? You are feeling a little down, too, aren’t you?”

Courtney nods, absentmindedly, without looking at him. Being honest with her own feelings, when they make her feel vulnerable, is always a great feat for her.

Courtney made her own big mistake, back in the day. Not long after the Groudon incident. Because of her own inability to speak about how she felt. Because of how difficult it was to know how she was feeling.

Tabitha remembers clearly her tears in front of their leader, who wanted to comfort her as much as he felt unable to do so. Courtney didn’t seem to mind, because she understood. That Maxie cares about her, like he cares about Tabitha, and about everyone else, even if he is terrible at showing it.

“Wanna talk about it?”

That Courtney may need someone to rely on, sometimes, even if she doesn’t look like it.

“As much as it is obvious to me that our comrades care deeply about you… I am unable to see the same sentiment towards myself.”

Courtney gets naturally isolated because of her personality. Some people say that she is too eager to please their leader, that it’s the only thing she cares about. Tabitha knows better.

He knows Courtney, and what she wants. What she needs. 

Tabitha knew that he wanted to be a scientist from a very young age. He remembers his parents’ faces, how eagerly they answered to his vocation. How they supported him, and kept him proud, his self esteem blossoming without effort.

He graduated with honors, and started working for the Devon Corporation in a record time. An internship, and then being properly hired. Living the life of his dreams, the life his ego thought that was enough.

When their leader approached him, and talked to him about legends, and about making people’s lives easier, he took him for a lunatic, at first. Maxie patiently explained his point, with a coldness that hid so, so much underneath. He believed what he was saying, he was convinced of it. There was enthusiasm behind his professional attitude. There still is, even if they all know now how dangerous it is to play with the gods, to try to tame them. No matter how big Tabitha’s ego is, he knows that an eternal being made of legend would never bow to him.

Sadly, what Courtney lacks is exactly ego.

“Why do you think that?” Tabitha asks, even if the answer is obvious. Courtney doesn’t have his extroverted personality, or Maxie’s charisma. Courtney is just herself, doing everything the best way she can. Continuously feeling that she is not enough. Good enough, liked enough.

Tabitha wonders if Courtney’s dream as a kid, instead of being a scientist like him, was just being loved. The thought makes his heart sink a little.

“They do not look at me the same way they look at you.” she says, a little doubtful, her usual mannerisms fading a little as she relaxes. “They… avoid looking at me, I believe. I am... seventy six percent sure.”

Tabitha sighs, and finally offers her his cup of cocoa. Courtney takes it without looking at him, and gives it a thoughtful sip. Tabitha feels like he has to state the obvious, but it’s something that Courtney wouldn’t be able to realise by herself.

“Do you look at them, yourself?”

Courtney’s violet eyes go wide in surprise. As he thought, she had never given it a thought. About why she is perceived the way she is. About how no matter how much she wants to be liked, it’s a difficult task, given her own inability to connect to people.

“I… It’s a difficult task.”

Tabitha knows her. He knows the way she is, and knows that there is nothing wrong with her. With the way she exists, like he does. What he knows, is that Courtney is deeply unhappy, and that he wants to help her. As her friend.

“I know. But they are getting the wrong idea about you.” he says, patiently. “I’m not telling you to look at them in the eye, but don’t avoid looking at them altogether. If you try to approach them, they’ll surely realise.”

Courtney absentmindedly drums her fingers against the cup, her expression not changing much as she tries to look at him, slowly, averting her eyes a couple of times. Tabitha may be the proudest asshole in Team Magma, but that’s his friend, trying to follow his advice. Trying to reach out and get closer to him, to everyone else.

Tabitha smiles at her when she finally looks at his face. Her eyes are a little unfocused, but it’s more than okay. She looks tense, way too tense, but Tabitha’s smile does help. She smiles at him, too, and averts her eyes some seconds later.

“I do not understand. You make it look easy. To me, it is a huge hardship.”

Tabitha sighs, his eyes looking at the cute Skitty plush on his lap. He smiles at it, and pets its head with way too much care.

“It’s a matter of practice. You get better at it with time.” he assures, because it’s true. “I did. Our leader did.”

“Both our Great Leader and you…” Courtney asks, her voice genuinely surprised.

Tabitha laughs a little, his round cheeks slightly red.

“Yes! Like you.”

Courtney looks at him again, deep in thought. Like organizing the new information inside of her brain.

“You don’t have to force yourself to do something that’s way too painful for you out of the bat.” Tabitha reminds her, with a reassuring voice. “But I, Tabitha, can teach you some tricks to make it all easier. And I’ll be here for you, like you are here for me.”

“To… be able to recharge our batteries?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Courtney smiles again, comfortably. Tabitha feels that they are closer now, even more than they were before. That he knows Courtney a little better, and that she knows him back in return.

“May I… May I hug you, sometime?” Courtney asks suddenly, and Tabitha idly scratches his nose.

“Of course! We are friends.”

“Is friendship appropriate for coworkers?”

Tabitha snorts at the joke, but Courtney is looking at him, dead serious.

“Wait, did you mean that seriously?”

It’s Courtney’s time to laugh.

“Negative.” she says plainly, as if it were obvious.

Tabitha gets red from embarrassment. He smiles, covering his face a little with one of his chubby hands.

“I deserve this, don’t I?”

Courtney shakes her head, still laughing a little. Tabitha likes it when she laughs, when she lets her guard down around him. When she is herself, and trust him enough to let him see her true feelings.

Maybe, what they both needed was just a friend. An equal. Someone who understands.

Suddenly, Tabitha doesn’t feel as envious of Team Aqua anymore. Team Magma is okay, the way they are.

Then, he remembers. His daily Skitty dosage. He would be unable to live without those. Courtney deserves to see that part of him, too. That vulnerable side. The one he hides from the rest of the team, even their leader. Not because he is ashamed, but because of his big and flawled ego.

“Do you want to watch some Skitty videos with me?” he says, a little nervously.

Courtney’s eyelids drop a little, her long eyelashes making her expressionless face even more doll-like. She looks slightly more relaxed, and that, Tabitha likes.

“What kind of videos?” she asks, slightly amused. “The kind of videos that make you emotional?”

Tabitha rolls his eyes a little.

“Oh, shut up. They’re cute.”

Courtney just looks at the screen, her posture calm.

“It sounds enjoyable. I would love to watch them with you.”

Tabitha’s red eyes shine slightly, his smile shaking nervously on his lips as he looks for a particularly heartwarming video of a Skitty whining at its trainer, demanding food and snuggles. That’s one of his favorites.

He clicks on the video, and groans exasperatedly at the ads, Tabitha thinks about friendship. About how lucky he is, to be Courtney’s friend.

As Courtney looks up, and then at him, he realises. And the thought makes him feel at peace. Courtney is glad to be her friend, too.

Life is a great deal easier when you don’t have to deal with it by yourself.

**Author's Note:**

> comments>kudos!
> 
> My fanfic sideblog (on tumblr) is @prayforfroot  
My main one is @eskuhotzak


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